FastPass+ Most Certainly Not Coming Back As It Was

[MisterPenguin]

Not to mention you can modify times of the advanced ones once you scan in at the first one.....

That was my usual 'trick'.

After getting the big E-Tickets at 60+ days by staying at a Disney resort, I'd try to move them all to as early in the morning as possible. But, because of the 1 hour window for each, they were spread apart in time.

After tapping into the first FP of the day, then that FP sort of 'disappeared' from schedule. So, while in queue, a little refreshing got the next FP moved to as soon as possible. Often by the time we finished the current ride, the next FP was active, allowing us to just walk over and onto that ride.

Then in that queue, a little refreshing moved the 3rd FP to as soon as possible. This allowed us to do 3 FP rides in just 90 minutes.

Tapping into the 3rd ride allowed us to grab a new FP, to happen as soon as possible. And so on, for the rest of the day.

None of that was secret information. It was oft mentioned on 'tips' websites.

I'm guessing some of the FPs that opened up and found through refreshing was because of people missing their FP window (or moving or cancelling their FP).

It was odd how FPs were available when you wouldn't think they would be. E.g., in the early evening at EPCOT, SSE would have have standby wait time for 20-30 minutes, while, at the same time, FPs for it were immediately available. Or even if the FP was for 15 minutes later, by the time we walked over to SSE the 5 minute pre-time grace period was active, and we just walked on... past a crowd that had a half hour wait.

FP greatly benefited those who knew its ins and out to the detriment, I guess, of those who didn't even bother with it.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I'm of the opinion that a vacation destination shouldn't require research of forums, blogs, and social media groups in order to fully enjoy the destination. The company providing the vacation destination should be providing all the details you need.

And yet here we all are. You, and many of the people posting in this thread, post to this forum just about every day. Are you saying this forum isn't informative? or that you don't know WDW's policies?

Second, Disney's website DOES have provide all the details of FP, or did. the directions were also printed on every park map.

On top of that, WDW staff are super nice, and will patiently answer just about any question that anyone has about any part of WDW.

WDW is certainly complicated, and more complicated than other theme parks. It isn't a given that anyone would automatically know it is as complicated as it is. Again, this is just like the ADR discussion. I don't normally book most restaurant tables in advance. Of course some local TS take reservations, and people do book them, but not to the WDW level. It is reasonable to think one could eat at WDW without reserving every TS meal. Unfortunately, many WDW TS did not offer standby queues.

It is reasonable to think every attraction has a standby line, and every attraction does. Both AK and Epcot have many gift shops, gardens, animal exbibits, etc to see that aren't FP attractions at all.

 

[MJM]

If there was a post caling people too stupid this would be it.....

Everyone here knows everything your saying but guess what.....shocker "not everyone wants to vacation just like you" nothing comes off more pompous than this attitude.
But its not coming back like it was so get over it. Its not my fault its not coming back though.

There’s no need to get nasty. No one said everyone should do what we do. I prefer to plan my vacation to get the most of it and to allow my kids to see and do everything they want to. That’s all the matters to me. If FP removal prevents that down the line, it won’t be worth the money to me to go to WDW with the crowds. Maybe we will have to go when it’s less crowded or not at all. But that’s not “pompous” to state how I feel about FP+ and it’s benefit in the past decade for our family. You do you and I’ll do me

 

[George]

One system that would work for me is if I got to go to the front of every line.

 

[King Panda 77]

One system that would work for me is if I got to go to the front of every line.

You just need a clipboard and an employee badge.

 

[larryz]

they don’t make profit on hotel rooms...1/3 of them are timeshares already paid...

I have trouble believing this considering most of the properties on property are already amortized and the nightly rates are 50-100% higher than comparable off-site venues. Even if you take DVC out of the mix, the DVC guests still spend in the parks, buy tickets, eat somewhere... and they pay their yearly maintenance fees for the privilege.

That's a shocker!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have trouble believing this considering most of the properties on property are already amortized and the nightly rates are 50-100% higher than comparable off-site venues. Even if you take DVC out of the mix, the DVC guests still spend in the parks, buy tickets, eat somewhere... and they pay their yearly maintenance fees for the privilege.

That's a shocker!

I never said hotel rooms didnt “generate revenue”...I said the rates aren’t a profit center.

selling DVC points doesn’t fill Scrooge’s money bin either...it’s an offset.

the bin gets filled at Halloween parties and food and wine festivals booths...usually on the same day!!!

 

[Jrb1979]

...really long lines in queues with overly loud and repetitive soundtracks.

You can do that, too, in WDW. But before anyone complains about the FP line-cutters making their wait longer than it has to be... Universal also has line-cutter options which make your wait in their stand-by lines longer than it needs to be.

Don't know how anyone can really say the Universal model is significantly better from the point of view that one just "gets in line."

I wasn't even talking about any of that. I was saying as far as scheduling goes Universal's is much better as you don't have to pick a time to ride attractions or having to keep refreshing an app to get a new FP.

 

[MisterPenguin]

You just need a clipboard and an employee badge.

How much do plaid vests cost?

 

[Jrb1979]

He wants to pay 200 per person per day for the right to do that

If it gets me to ride attractions multiple times each day sure.

 

[larryz]

I'd hate to see free FPs go away. I know how to use them, and I use those guys well. If noobs can't figure it out, too bad. It's not hard. We were there back before Christmas without FPs, and I waited in lines longer than I have in years. There were a lot of things that we just didn't have time to do. Frankly, no FPs would eventually effect my desire to go to WDW at all, I would think.

That's exactly what I said about the OLD FP system...

 

[G&CsMom]

Our family does the same! It’s not my fault you don’t understand FP and haven’t done the research to score your own major attraction FPs- it can be done and has been done by many. Including us every summer. We have also been able to ride every single ride at MK in a day because of FP+ and without it that can’t be done. Maybe it can at 35% capacity but that’s changing rapidly so Disney needs to bring it back . We also take a break midday to swim at the resort like Coles post above and we skip over Winnie the Pooh and others when their lines exceed 30 mins and go ride something with less of a wait time, return to WTP later in the day when waits are shorter. You just have to know what you’re doing. Not my fault you don’t know how to plan accordingly

First time poster, long time lurker......

This is so true. It reminds me of the saying "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." (and this is true in so many areas of life....)

People have different vacation styles. You have the folks who use a travel agent and get their planning and information through that "outside expert." You have people who decide last minute and take a trip on a whim with little planning. And then you have people like many of us on these boards who research and plan before a vacation.

No one vacation style is right, it's just different. Different strokes for different folks. If it's not someone's style to research and plan, they probably don't know all the tips and tricks for a WDW vacation to maximize rides and experiences and minimize wait times. But do they care? IDK....but it doesn't mean that those of us who plan and research endlessly and use these tips and tricks are cheating. We just have a different vacation style. I actually ENJOY the planning ahead of time. Our WHOLE family gets a kick out of "who can score the next great fastpass" after we scan in for our 3rd preplanned FP. If it's not YOUR thing, cool beans, but don't label those who use the FP+ system caveats as cheaters, line jumpers, etc.

 

[Jenny72]

FP+ can be gamed and used well by a minority of people. The question really is whether it's positive for the majority, and especially to the people Disney really wants to attract--upper middle class visitors doing a "blowout" vacation. I was eager to give advice to my (high-earning) friend who was going to Disney with her family for the first time. This is one of the people who refers to the Magic Kingdom as "Disney World." Despite my best efforts, she ended up with those fastpass bundles with Small World/Tea Cups/Pooh. She just didn't want to spend that much time thinking about it. I think it's fine for us to say "well, too bad for them, they didn't plan ahead" but I'm not sure that's how Disney would see it. They need to appeal to people like her, too.

It will make me sad when/if they go to a paid model, once again following the lead of places like Universal and Cedar Point instead of doing their own thing. FP+ was frustrating in many ways, but it felt like another "Disney Difference" in that they gave everyone equal access to it (mostly). It would kill just a little more magic if they go to that model. I'd rather they just eliminated it or cut it down to maximum of 3 or something simpler. But when this ends as it inevitably must, I will simply retreat to my memories of riding "If You Had Wings" 50 times...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

How much do plaid vests cost?

to produce? $0.85 cents from the “factory” behind tron in Shanghai

to “use”? Bout $850 an hour...tip not included

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

You just need a clipboard and an employee badge.

Or the ability to pay for the VIP Tour guide.

Would you happen to be the CEO of a major corporation, maybe with a $$$$ event booked at one of WDW's fabulous convention spaces? Are you maybe interested in sponsoring a WDW attraction?

As another option, have you recently starred in any Disney/Marvel movies?

As another option, are you by any chance a major league sports' team player?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That was my usual 'trick'.

After getting the big E-Tickets at 60+ days by staying at a Disney resort, I'd try to move them all to as early in the morning as possible. But, because of the 1 hour window for each, they were spread apart in time.

After tapping into the first FP of the day, then that FP sort of 'disappeared' from schedule. So, while in queue, a little refreshing got the next FP moved to as soon as possible. Often by the time we finished the current ride, the next FP was active, allowing us to just walk over and onto that ride.

Then in that queue, a little refreshing moved the 3rd FP to as soon as possible. This allowed us to do 3 FP rides in just 90 minutes.

Tapping into the 3rd ride allowed us to grab a new FP, to happen as soon as possible. And so on, for the rest of the day.

None of that was secret information. It was oft mentioned on 'tips' websites.

I'm guessing some of the FPs that opened up and found through refreshing was because of people missing their FP window (or moving or cancelling their FP).

It was odd how FPs were available when you wouldn't think they would be. E.g., in the early evening at EPCOT, SSE would have have standby wait time for 20-30 minutes, while, at the same time, FPs for it were immediately available. Or even if the FP was for 15 minutes later, by the time we walked over to SSE the 5 minute pre-time grace period was active, and we just walked on... past a crowd that had a half hour wait.

FP greatly benefited those who knew its ins and out to the detriment, I guess, of those who didn't even bother with it.

I always tried to do this...

but the 5 minute intervals not lining up always seemed to make the 3 end up taking up 4+ hours at best and then bleed into food, the heat, etc.

i have little evidence...but I’m like 99.9% sure fastpass+ sucked.

 

[CatesMom]

That was my usual 'trick'.

After getting the big E-Tickets at 60+ days by staying at a Disney resort, I'd try to move them all to as early in the morning as possible. But, because of the 1 hour window for each, they were spread apart in time.

After tapping into the first FP of the day, then that FP sort of 'disappeared' from schedule. So, while in queue, a little refreshing got the next FP moved to as soon as possible. Often by the time we finished the current ride, the next FP was active, allowing us to just walk over and onto that ride.

Then in that queue, a little refreshing moved the 3rd FP to as soon as possible. This allowed us to do 3 FP rides in just 90 minutes.

Tapping into the 3rd ride allowed us to grab a new FP, to happen as soon as possible. And so on, for the rest of the day.

None of that was secret information. It was oft mentioned on 'tips' websites.

I'm guessing some of the FPs that opened up and found through refreshing was because of people missing their FP window (or moving or cancelling their FP).

It was odd how FPs were available when you wouldn't think they would be. E.g., in the early evening at EPCOT, SSE would have have standby wait time for 20-30 minutes, while, at the same time, FPs for it were immediately available. Or even if the FP was for 15 minutes later, by the time we walked over to SSE the 5 minute pre-time grace period was active, and we just walked on... past a crowd that had a half hour wait.

FP greatly benefited those who knew its ins and out to the detriment, I guess, of those who didn't even bother with it.

My family was also well-versed in FP+ tricks and lore. Don’t forget breaking your group into teams of 1 or 2 and searching for overlapping windows so that everyone could ride together. Ah, good times.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I was eager to give advice to my (high-earning) friend who was going to Disney with her family for the first time. This is one of the people who refers to the Magic Kingdom as "Disney World." Despite my best efforts, she ended up with those fastpass bundles with Small World/Tea Cups/Pooh. She just didn't want to spend that much time thinking about it. I think it's fine for us to say "well, too bad for them, they didn't plan ahead" but I'm not sure that's how Disney would see it. They need to appeal to people like her, too.

So she was unhappy with her vacation?

I think you raise good points. WDW is big and complicated. That's part of what makes WDW so amazing. On any given day, there is more happening than any of us can possibly do in a day.

WDW has over 100 TS restaurants (pre-pandemic). If you ONLY ate onsite, AND you ate 3 TS meals every day, you would STILL have to stay at WDW for over a month to eat at all of them. And that's just the TS options.

Touring WDW isn't just about "planning." It is how we handle a large quantity of choices and options. Many people simply opt out. (shut down?) Some people love the rush, others want limited options.

 

[Joel]

The best FP+ "one weird trick" -- by far -- was when a ride with immediate FP availability went down. You could just keep reserving FPs for it, and they'd be instantly converted into multi-experience FPs. It's like a free DIY VIP tour.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My family was also well-versed in FP+ tricks and lore. Don’t forget breaking your group into teams of 1 or 2 and searching for overlapping windows so that everyone could ride together. Ah, good times.

Now I’m 99.95% sure fastpass+ sucks